Engine mounting for adjustable conveyers



July. 6, 1948. s. A. MULKEY ETAL ENGINE MOUNTING FOR ADJUSTABLECONVEYERS Filed May 27, 1946 INKENTORS Sfan/ey A. Mil/key, and

Z8 2? 2a 35 Z ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 6, 1948 ENGINE MOUNTING FOR ADJUSTABLEv CONVEYE Stanley A.Mulkey, Lees Summit, and Ralph Furlong, Kansas City, Mo., assignors toSam Mulkey Company, Kansas City, Mo., a partnership Application May 27,1946, Serial No. 672,661

Claims. (Cl. 198121) This invention relates to an engine mounting, andmore particularly to apparatus for mounting a prime mover on an elevatorof the conveyor type for driving same.

In elevators of the endless belt or conveyor type for use in elevatinggrain, hay and the like, the conveyor is mounted on a boom adapted to beinclined at various inclinations depending upon the height to which thematerial is to be elevated. The conveyors in such elevators are usuallydriven by motors or small gasoline engines mounted on the boom. Smallengines of the type used for driving such conveyors operate best when ina vertical position-but in conventional conveyor elevators, theinclination is frequently changed, resulting in the engine usuallyoperating at angles other than vertical, resulting in improperlubrication and excessive wear on the engine.

The objects of the present invention are to provide an adjustable enginemounting to maintain the engine in vertical position; to provide apivotal mounting for pivoting the engine mounting on the axis, of thecrankshaft; to provide. an engine mounting wherein the load thereof iscarried on an axial support and held in adjusted position by a singlefastening means; to provide an engine mounting wherein the inclinationof the engine may be adjusted without alteration of the drivingmechanism; and to provide a simple, easily adjusted engine mountingwhich is sturdy, durable and easily applied to a conveyor type elevator.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, wehave provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a prime mover mounting embodying-thefeatures of the present invention as applied to a conveyor typeelevator.

Fig. 2 is a diassembled perspective view of the prime mover mountingapparatus.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the elevator illustratingthe rime mover mount- 2 member carried by the boom 2 to move material upthe elevator to any desired point of delivery. The lower end of theelevator is adapted to be supported on a suitable support 9 and theupper end of the elevator arranged. at any desired height by means of asuitable strut l0 plvotally connected'to the boom as at ll, the lowerend of said strut preferably being mounted on wheels l2. The lower endof the strut I0 is connected by means of a line I 3 to asuitable'windlass H on the boom whereby the lower ends of said strut maybe drawn toward the lower end of the elevator to adjust the inclinationand height of the upper end of said elevator. a

The sprockets 6 and the conveyor are driven by a suitable reductiondrive mechanism enclosed in a housing I 6 carried by the boom of theelevator. For driving the reduction mechaon the crankshaft 20 of a primemover 2i mounted on the elevator boom as now to be described.

Secured to the side member 22 of the boom and extending downwardlytherefrom is a plate 23, said plate having a bearing boss 24 extendinginwardly relatively to the elevator in alignment with a bearing boss 25on a plate 26 extending downwardly from the boom frame member 27 on theopposite side of the boom relative to the plate 23. The bosses 24 and 25are provided with aligning bores 28 adapted to rotatably receive a shaft29 preferably of tubular construction for lightness of weight andpreferably secured to a vertical flange 30 of an angle bracket 3|. Thehorizontal flange 32 of said bracket extends outwardly from the verticalmember and is provided with suitable openings 33 to receive bolts or thelike for securing the prime mover 2i thereon. The flange 32 is suitablyarranged relative to the shaft 29 whereby said shaft is in axialalignment with the crankshaft of the prime mover mounted on saidbracket. The flange 30 of the mounting bracket is provided with anaperture 34 adjacent the lower end thereof and adapted to'be selectivelyaligned with any of a plurality of apertures 35 arranged in the plate 23on a radius from the axis of the bore 28 therein whereby when the shaft29 is mounted in the bore 28 the face of the flange 30 will engage theface of the plate 23 and the aperture 34 will align with a selectedaperture 35 whereby a bolt 36 may be extended therethrough to secure theengine mounting bracket 3! onto the boom in any selected angularadjustment whereby the boommay be raised or lowered and the enginepositioned in its best operating position.

In using and operating a device of this character described, theconveyor boom is usually carried on the wheeled strut to a desiredlocation. The base 9 is then placed on the ground and the windlr ss l4operated to draw the line 13 and the lower end of the strut towards thelower end of the boom, thereby elevating the forward or upper end ofsaid boom. When the forward end of the elevator has been raised to asuitable height to deliver the material to the desired location, thebolt 36 is removed from the apertures 34 and 35 and the engine mountingbracket and shaft 29 rotated in the bores 28 until the prime mover is insubstantially vertical position. The aperture Si is then aligned withthe nearest aperture 35 and the bolt 36 replaced to hold the prime movermounting bracket in adjusted position. Since the pulley I9 is on thecrankshaft and is in axial alignment with the shaft 29, the adjustmentof the angularity of the engine may be accomplished without any changein the length of the belt [8. The engine is then started to drive thepulley ll through the drive mechanism enclosed in the housing IE tooperate the sprocket 6 to move the conveyor upwardly in the trough 8whereby material may be elevated to any suitable position.

It is believed obvious that we have provided a prime mover mountingwhich may be easily ad- Justed to any desired angular position relativeto the boom by the simple expedient of moving one bolt, the entireweight of the prime mover being carried by the bearings 24 and 25. Theprime mover and mounting also may be thereby removed for storage or thelike by the removal of the one bolt. There is substantially no strain onthe bolt other than to keep the bracket from rotating in the bearings 24and 25. The fact that the drive pulley is mounted on the same axis asthe support for the prime mover further reduces the load due to thedrive connection other than any force that might be exerted due totension on the belt connecting the prime mover with the apparatus to bedriven.

It is believed obvious that we have provided a simple prime movermounting which may be quickly and easily adjusted to maintain the primemover in a vertical position regardless of the variations in theinclination of the conveyor boom.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a boom adapted to bearranged at various inelinations, driven means on the boom, a primemover having a drive shaft, a belt drivingly connecting the prime moverto the driven means, a shaft rotatably mounted on the boom, means on theshaft for supporting the prime mover with the drive shaft in axialalignment with the rotatably mounted shaft, and means for securing saidprime mover in any selected angular position relative to the boomwhereby the belt maintains driving connection without change in thelength thereof.

2. In an elevator, a boom having a support for one end. means forelevating the other end of said boom whereby said boom is moved to anydesired inclination. a conveyor operating on said boom. a tubular shaftrotatably mounted on said boom. a prime mover mounted on said tubularshaft and having the drive shaft thereof in axial alignment with thetubular shaft, means for securing the prime mover in any selectedangular relation with the boom, and means operated by the prime moverfor driving th conveyor.

3. In an elevator, a boom having a. support for one end, means forelevating the other end of said boom whereby said boom is moved to anydesired inclination, a conveyor operating on said boom, bearings mountedon said boom, a prime mover having a drive shaft, means rotatablymounted in said bearings for supporting the prime mover with the driveshaft thereof in ax al alignment with the bearings, means for securingthe prime mover in any selected angular relation with the boom, andmeans operated by the prime mover for driving the conveyor,

4. In an elevator, a boom having a support for one end, means forelevating the other end of said boom whereby said boom is moved to anydesired inclination, a conveyor operating on said boom, downwardlyextending brackets on said boom having bearing openings therein, a shaftrotatably mounted in said bearing opening, an angle plate secured to oneend of said shaft, a prime mover mounted on said angle plate having thedrive shaft thereof in axial alignment with the shaft, means forsecuring the angle plate in any selected angular relation with the boom,and means operated by the prime mover for driving the conveyor.

5. In an elevator, a boom having a support for one end, means forelevating the other end of said boom whereby said boom is moved to anydesired inclination, a conveyor operating on said boom, downwardlyextending brackets on said boom having bearing openings therein, one ofsaid brackets having a plurality of apertures spaced from the bearingopening therein, a tubular shaft rotatably mounted in said bearingopenings, an angle plate secured to one end of said tubular shaft, aprime mover mounted on said angle plate-having the drive shaft thereofin axial alignment with the tubular shaft, means for extending throughselected apertures for securing the angle plate in selected angularrelation with the boom, and means operated by the prime mover fordriving the conveyor.

STANLEY A. MULKEY.

RALPH FURLONG.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Klosterman Oct. 26,1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Mar. 15, 1937 Number Number

